Cushioning and packaging strip



June 23, 1970 L. [2. VAN ANTWERPEN 3516,538

CUSHIONING AND PACKAGING STRIP Filed Sept. 19, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jlme 1970 D. VAN ANTWERPEN 3516533 cusmoume ANI) PACKAGING STRIP Filed Sept. 19, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet NVENTOR LLOYD 0 VAN ANTWERPEN GEORGE w.wmcst;n. JR.

June 23, 1970 0. VAN ANTWERPEN 3516538 CUSHIONING AND PACKAGING STRIP 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed 581312. 19, 1966 INVE N TOR L LOY D D. VAN ANTWERPEN GEORGE w. wmem, JR.

United States Patent O 3516,538 CUSHIONIN G AND PACKAGING STRIP Lloyd D. Van Antwerpen, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Menasha Corporation, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept. 19, 1966, Ser. N0. 580,315 Int. Cl. B65d 85/00 U.S. Cl. 206-62 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-ply packaging and cushioning strip for efrectively cushioning articles such as glass during shipment, having an elongated flat base ply and an inner ply formed with spaced peaks. The peaks intermediate their ends having parallel slits defining an intermediate independent tongue member folded down for cushioning purposes and means between said peaks for further cushioning and supporting the glass, the peripheral edge of the glass being received within the slots of the peaks formed by the slits.

Ths inventon appertains to cushioning and packaging strips of the type utilized around the peripheral edge of fragle articles, such as glass, during the shipping and storing thereof to prevent injury thereto.

Examples of prior cushioning and packaging strips are shown in the Cortright Pat. 2,741362 issued Apr. 10, 1956 and prior Van Antwerpen Pats. 2,504,473 issued Apr. 18, 1950 (FIGS. 21 to 31); 2603,349 issued July 15, 1952; 2,776745 issued Jan. 8, 1957; 3,101,166 issued Aug. 20, 1963 and others.

These prior strips are of an elongated nature and generally are formed from a three-ply construction to include an outer flat base ply, an inner ply and an intermediate ply. The inner and intermediate plies are provided with a series of equidistantly spaced transversely extending cushioning peaks with the peaks of the inner ply slotted and overlying the nested cushioning peaks of the intermediate ply. The slots of the inner ply are treated for receiving the edge of the article, i.e., glass, and for holding the glass against shifting and to pennit the peripheral edge of the glass to rest on the cushioning peaks of the intermediate ply. The forming of the intermediate and inner plies requires automatic machnery utlizing forming blocks and means for bringing the plies together in an exact fashion and it would be advantageous in certain instances to eliminate the intermediate ply and thus provide a two-ply strip whch would be more econornical to make and obvously require less material and lighter machinery.

It is, therefore, a prime object of my present inventon to provide a twoply packaging and cushioning strip which will efiectively cushion articles such as glass against shifting and breaking down during shipment.

Another important object of the inventon is to provide a two-ply cushioning strip wherein the inner ply is provided with spaced cushioning peaks slotted to receive the peripheral edge of the glass and wherein novel tongues are provided to cushion the peripheral edge of the glass while shippng.

Still another object of my present inventon is to provide a two-ply cushioning strip wherein the cushioning tongues are spaced from the base ply.

A salient feature of the present inventon lies in providing two-ply cushioning strips having equidistantly spaced peaks slotted to receive and hold the edges of glass against shifting and providing a novel fold for cushioning tongues to cushion the peripheral edge against breaking when jarred.

Still another object of the present inventon is to proice vide a novel cushioning and packaging strip whch is economical to manufacture, simple in its construction, reliable in its operation and which will effectvely protect articles during shipment.

Wth these and other objects in view, and to the end of attaning any other advantage hereinafter appearing this inventon consists in the novel construction, arrangement and eornbination of parts, hereinafter described, pointed out in the claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a shipping carton for glass, certain parts being broken away and in secton to illustrate the use of the novel cushioning and packaging strip;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal secton through a cushioning strip made in accordance with the present inventon, shown about the peripheral edge of the glass;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse secton through the carton and cushioning strip, the section being represented by the line 33 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a perspective top plan view of the form of the inventon shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal secton of a modified way of folding a cushioning tongue;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view in top plan of another form of the inventon;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal secton through the packaging strip shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the section being represented by the line 77 of FIG. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows and also showing how the peripheral edge of the glass and the like is supported and eectively cushioned;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view in top plan of stil] another preferred form of the inventon; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal secton similar to FIG. 7 of the drawings but illustrating that form of the inventon shown in FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter C generally indicates one type of my novel packaging and eushioning strip and the same is shown associated with a shipping carton S of any conventional type to provide side walls 10, end wall 11, top wall 12 and bottom wall 13 of a size and configuration to receive and efiectively support fragile articles such as glass G. The cushioning and packaging strip is placed as shown about the peripheral edge of the glass, and for purposes of illustration and understanding, attention is directed primarily to FIGS. 2 and 4, wherein it can be seen that the strip includes a flat base ply 20 and an inner ply 21, which is formed with spaced peaks 22. These peaks 22 intermediate their ends are provided with parallel slits 23 and these slits define an intermediate independent tongue member 24 whch when folded down as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, provides a three-ply thickness 25, upon which the peripheral edge 26 of the glass G tests. The parallel slits 23 are generally of a slightly greater width than the width of the peripheral edge of the glass so that when the glass is received within the slot formed by the slits it will rest upon the tongue 24 as inentioned, and the side walls 27 defining the slot will bear upon the sides 28 of the glass and prevent the glass trom shifting laterally in the carton and the triple thickness at 25 will effectively cushion the edge of the glass. If desired the tongue may be folded so that the triple thickness lies entrely within the eonfines of the walls of the peaks 22 and as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, wall 30 may be creased and folded at the point 31 (note dotted lines FIG. 5) and the tongue then folded to its 3 full line position FIG. 5, to provide the three-ply points 25 and effectively cushion the peripheral edge of the glass G.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred, modfied form of the invention. In this form, I again provide a flat base ply 20 and the inner ply 21 frmed with the aforementoned spaced cushioning peaks 22. In this form of the invention, however, parallel slits 23 terminate intermediate the ends of the walls 30' of the peaks and thus the tongue 24 is spaced substantially from the base ply 20 as shown more clearly in FIG. 7 of the drawngs, and the peripheral edge 26 of glass G is supported above and spaced from the lower p0rtions 40 of plies 20 and 21. Thus, t can be seen that for articles of n0t t00 great weight a two-ply cushioning and packaging strip will be most effective, and the elimination of the ntermediate formed plies results in not only a lighter and more economical strip but eliminates the use of costly forming machinery for the intermediate ply. It should also be noted that in the forms illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, inclusive, the peaks need not actually be equidistantly spaced, and the equal space is primarily due to the case of manufacture and unformity of the product. Further, the tongue could be eliminated particularly in that form illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings, although preferably the tongue materal is utilized.

In utilizing a three-ply packaging and cushioning strip a very real advantage lies in the fact that the intermedate ply provides a reinforcing peak which lies within the peak of the outer strip and upon which the perpheral edge of the article rests. This prevents the tearing of the material about the slots 23 and 23' and further in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to inclusive, prolonged weight upon the ples 25 might effect the cushioning and resilient qualities. Therefore, in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings, I have llustrated a preferred two-ply construction which actually meets all of the advantages and requirements of a three-ply construction and will support articles of the same Weight While nevertheless entirely eliminating the intermediate ply.

This form, as in the previous forms includes a flat base ply 50 and an outer ply 51. This ply is formed with relatively large spaced peaks 52 forrned with the usual parallel slits 53 terminating well above the base ply 50 at a point 54 to provide the aforementioned slot 55 and forwarclly extendng 01 projecting tongue 56. Intermediate adjacent pairs of the large peaks 52 are smaller peaks 60 as shown. The upper end termnations 61 of which are in alignment with the upper surface 62 of the tongues 56. While it is advantageous to provide the nterrnediate smaller peaks 60 between the larger peaks 52, it should be noted that if desired the location of the ntermediate peaks may alternate. Nevertheless, in the preferred form the peaks are located as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings. The glass G is again placed so that its peripheral edge 26 not only engages the surface 62 of tongues 56 but als0 rests upon the upper end 61 of the intermediate peaks 60. Thus, the intermediate peaks 6) serve the sarne purpose as the peaks of the aforementoned intermediate strip of the three-ply construction. The difierence is that the peaks lie outside of the larger peaks and are formed from the same strip of material, i.e. the outer ply 51. In this modified form (FIGS. 8 and 9), the packaging and cushioning strip can be used interchangeably withthe th1ee-ply construction in almost all nstances.

While I have shown and described certain specfic embodments of the inventon, it will be understood that these embodirnents are merely for the purpose of illustration and description, that various other forms may be devised and that changes may be made in the proportion and minor details of construction, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A wraparound packaging and cushioning strip for protecting the peripheral edges of fragile articles such as glass comprising, an outer base ply, an inner ply secured thereto, said inner ply having a plurality of spaced transversely extending cushionng peaks, said peaks each being provided with aligned parallel slits with the material between said slits providing a longitudinally extending t()ngue one end of which is folded upon itself to pr0vide a laminated cushioning means between the glass edge and said base ply, said tongue in its longitudinally extended position defining with said slits a slot in each cushionng peak of a size and configuration to receive the peripheral edge of a glass to prevent lateral shifting thereof, said aligned parallel slits terminating Well above said base ply and said longitudinally extending tongue being substantially parallel to and spaced well above said base ply, and a series of smaller intermediate peaks positioned between said adjacent cushioning peaks, the upper end termination of said smaller intermediate peaks lying in the same longitudinal plane with the upper surface of said longtudinally extending tongues.

Referenees Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,741,362 4/1956 Cortright 20662 3095,971 7/1963 Van Antwerpen 22914 3,101,166 8/1963 Van Antwerpen 20662 WILLIAM T. DIXON, R., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 229-14 

